Estuarine Management

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of water, including its ecosystem processes and associated biodiversity, which is either permanently, periodically, intermittently or occasionally open to the ocean. This partial connection to the ocean brings about a measurable variation in salinity because the seawater mixes with freshwater water derived from or under the adjacent land surface. Estuarine management can involve a variety of engineering and social modifications including protection against erosion, runoff carrying toxic or deleterious substances, or land use changes. Anything which interrupts natural fluctuations in flow and salinity is usually detrimental to an estuary. Protecting estuaries also protects the deep water marine ecosystem.